Bicycle City

In case you ever wondered exactly how many bicycles are out in downtown Philadelphia at rush hour, the Center City District has an answer. The CCD sent out folks to count bike traffic on the northbound lanes as they crossed Spruce Street, from 3rd through 22nd Street. The data includes all the bikes that used those streets between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. over several weekdays in July. The total: an average of 722 during that one hour. The most popular street was 22nd, because it has a bike lane. Among the least popular is 11th Street because of the trolley tracks on it. The brief report says that what is needed is "and entire system of management: bike lanes, rules of the road, traffic signals for both cyclists and motorists and real enforcement equally for all." You can read a Metropolis Special Report on bikes and the city here.